WootBot

Don't get me wrong. I'm all for parental rights. I don't think parents should be treated as subhuman because they have children. But I also don't believe they should be afforded any special treatment because of it either. Lately I have noticed a trend towards what I like to call "in-your-face parenting." These are the parents who do whatever they want without regard to other people and say "Screw you and mind your own business" if you dare call them on their questionable behavior.

Case in point: This mother who stripped down her twin toddlers and potty trained them in the middle of a busy restaurant. So there they were, doing their business at the table while shocked patrons looked on. REALLY? How could this mother think this is even remotely acceptable? First of all, it's a tremendous health code violation. Secondly, it's disgusting. Why in the world did she not take them to the restroom? Listen, I understand how hard it is to be a parent. It's physically and emotionally exhausting, and at times you feel like you're losing your mind. And that's just with one. I can't even fathom what it's like with two. But common sense is common sense. Not to mention common decency.

Then there was this situation with this college professor. Some students complained that she breastfed her baby in the middle of her lecture. But I don't think the issue is the breastfeeding. A baby has to eat. The real issue is, why did she have her child in class in the first place? Turns out her baby was sick, and was therefore unable to attend daycare. So instead of staying home with the child or arranging for other care, she just decided to bring her to work. Must be nice to have that option. I certainly do not. And there's a reason for it. Children demand a lot of attention. Therefore, they are a distraction. Not just to the parent, but to anyone within proximity who is trying to work. Or in this case, learn. I'm with the students on this one. I would be pretty annoyed if I had paid good money for a college class, only to have the professor half-ass her lecture because she's simultaneously dealing with a sick kid. Also, thanks for giving me your cold, Kid.

coreopsis79

First of all, why didn't the people who work at the restaurant say something? That's pretty disgusting. If the kids don't like the bathroom, then go outside and do it. I think the mom should be fined for this one.

Just because you are book smart doesn't mean you have common sense. The professor could easily stay home with the child and make up the missed class during the next lecture. If she had TA's, then the TA could teach the class for a day.

stopdropreload

Well, speaking as the child of a college professor (who thankfully was never breastfed in class), I'll just say that canceling class is a big effin' deal and only done as an absolute last resort. My mom's only canceled class twice in the past five years - once when she had pneumonia, and once when she'd broken her foot and the classroom she was using wasn't handicap accessible.

Most professors plan their semester down to the minute, agonizing for weeks over their syllabi before classes start. It's difficult enough to cram everything that needs to be taught in the limited number of classes already allotted; cutting a class means losing readings, discussion time, and often excising some material completely. There's really no good way to make up for lost class time, either - you can reschedule class if it's done far enough in advance, but otherwise you either have to sacrifice time from some other lesson or just give up and move on. If she had a TA the TA could have filled in, sure - but it was a small humanities class, and in all likelihood the school would not have provided her with a TA.

Don't get me wrong, I would have been seriously distracted by her breastfeeding in class. I don't see why she couldn't have pumped or used formula and bottle fed instead; or better yet, get a mother-hen type department secretary or trusted graduate student to babysit for an hour or two. But if we're speaking solely from a financial point of view, having a distracted class is better than having no class at all. You don't get your money back if class isn't held.

On the other hand, speaking as a college student, I'll say that there's no better feeling than when you're scrambling to finish an assigned paper or reading before class, only to get an e-mail saying that class is canceled. But while I may be happy about getting a day off, it doesn't mean that such an event is good for my education.

kendrasmith

coreopsis79 wrote:First of all, why didn't the people who work at the restaurant say something? That's pretty disgusting. If the kids don't like the bathroom, then go outside and do it. I think the mom should be fined for this one.

Just because you are book smart doesn't mean you have common sense. The professor could easily stay home with the child and make up the missed class during the next lecture. If she had TA's, then the TA could teach the class for a day.

I had followed this story dealing with the potty training and the restaurant management admitted that they did not realize that this was actually going on until it was too late. Many people spotted it, took pictures of it, but no one had the guts to say anything to anyone about it. All in all, this is unacceptable and they should have contacted her after the fact now that it has become viral.

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